In the vast and chaotic Marvel Universe, where gods, mutants, and cosmic beings roam the world, few stories are as tragic—and as hauntingly radiant—as that of Lina Moreau, the girl who made a deal with the devil.
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Lina was fifteen when her life shattered. She lived in a small apartment in Hell's Kitchen, New York, with her parents—a pair of ordinary people struggling to keep a small bookstore alive. Her father loved old adventure comics; her mother adored celestial myths. They called Lina their little star, because she always dreamed of lighting up the darkness.
That night, the darkness came for them first.
It was supposed to be a quiet evening. Rain drummed on the windows, thunder echoed through the alleyways, and the smell of paper and ink filled the shop. Lina was sketching superheroes behind the counter when the front door shattered. Three masked men stormed in with guns drawn. Her father tried to protect her mother. The robbers didn't care.
In minutes, the bookstore that had always felt like home became a tomb. Her parents lay still on the floor, their blood soaking into the pages of forgotten stories. Lina froze, her body trembling, her mind refusing to accept what had happened.
One of the men turned toward her, a cruel grin beneath his mask.
"Should've stayed quiet, kid," he said.
He raised the gun.
And that was when Lina remembered the whispers.
Her mother used to tell her bedtime stories about demons and deals, about an ancient being who could give power at a price. "Be careful what you wish for," her mother would say. "Some stars burn too bright—and burn themselves away."
Lina had never believed in those stories. Until now.
As the gun's barrel glinted in the dim light, something inside her broke. She screamed—not in fear, but in fury, in grief, in raw, desperate will. Her voice seemed to echo beyond the room, beyond the world itself.
And somewhere, in the cracks between realities, Mephisto heard her.
The air turned cold. The lights flickered. The robber's smirk faltered as shadows crawled up the walls, twisting like smoke alive with intent. A voice, rich and cruel, whispered from nowhere and everywhere at once.
> "You called, little star. What do you desire?"
Lina couldn't breathe. "I—I want them back," she choked. "I want my parents back! Please!"
> "Ah," the voice purred. "Even I cannot rewrite death so carelessly. But I can give you strength—enough to avenge them. Enough to never be helpless again."
The man with the gun shouted something, but his words vanished under the roar of flame that bloomed from the shadows.
> "A contract, then," Mephisto murmured. "Your soul for my power. You shall shine like no mortal ever could… but your light will belong to me."
Lina hesitated, her tears sizzling as they hit the floor. "If it means no one else will die because of me… then take it."
The deal was sealed with a touch colder than death and hotter than hellfire.
The next moment, Lina felt the world ignite. Her veins burned with crimson energy. Her skin turned pale, her eyes glowed gold, and two black, flame-wreathed horns erupted from her head. The air shimmered around her, and the frightened robber stumbled backward, firing his gun wildly.
Bullets melted midair.
Lina—the demon girl now—walked toward him, each step echoing with power. The flames behind her flickered in the shape of wings. Her voice came out deeper, resonant, not entirely her own.
> "You took everything from me," she said. "Now I'll take everything from you."
The man screamed as fire consumed him, leaving nothing but ash.
When the heat died down, the girl who remained was not the same one who had stood in the bookstore minutes ago. Her horns faded. The fire vanished. She fell to her knees, shaking, her tears mixing with soot.
"Mom… Dad…"
But there was no answer. Only silence—and the faint echo of Mephisto's laughter fading into the void.
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Days turned to weeks. Lina buried her parents and vanished from the world. The police called her a missing person. The news called the bookstore fire a "gang dispute." But in the alleys of Hell's Kitchen, rumors began to spread.
They spoke of a black-haired girl with fire in her eyes. A girl who appeared when thugs preyed on the weak. A girl who fought demons, mutants, and even rogue heroes when they lost their way.
Lina had become something else—something between hero and monster.
She called herself Star Inferna.
By day, she was still the quiet girl who wandered the streets, her school uniform torn and stained. By night, she unleashed the infernal power that Mephisto had granted her. Every time she transformed, she felt the devil's presence in the back of her mind—whispering, tempting, mocking.
> "You could have it all, Lina," Mephisto would whisper. "Power. Immortality. The world could kneel before you."
But Lina refused. She had made her deal for one reason—to make sure no one else suffered the way she had.
She saved people from burning buildings. She stopped muggers in dark alleys. She fought creatures that crawled out of the same abyss that gave her strength. And though she burned brighter than ever, she feared what might happen if she lost control.
Sometimes she saw reflections of herself in mirrors—her demon form smiling back when she wasn't. Sometimes she woke up in strange places, her hands covered in ash, her heart pounding without rhythm.
And sometimes… she wondered if Mephisto had already won.
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One night, after stopping a gang from trafficking a mutant child, Lina stood on a rooftop overlooking the city. The lights below twinkled like stars.
She touched the red star emblem on her chest—the same one her mother had sewn on her dress.
"Mom, Dad," she whispered. "I'm still your little star. I'll burn for them all… even if it means I burn alone."
In the distance, thunder rumbled—a sound that wasn't entirely thunder. Somewhere, deep in the infernal realms, Mephisto smiled.
> "Shine on, my little star," his voice echoed in her mind. "Shine until the darkness claims you."
And with that, Lina leapt from the rooftop, the air igniting behind her like wings of fire.
A girl damned by her own wish.
A demon who chose to be a hero.
A star born from the abyss.
She was Star Inferna—and her story had only just begun.